Xu Ming was feeling annoyed. The last two days, nothing had gone according to his wishes. This is unacceptable!
First, a demon escaped, forcing him to chase it down himself. Then, when he extracted the Immortal Cores from the imprisoned Immortals, he discovered their cores were far below his standards.
As if those two failures weren't enough, a third incident pushed him over the edge.
A report from Su Lianhua revealed that Jian Wushuan had planted the Black Worm in Han Zhaofeng instead of Mu Yiran, as ordered.
Must I do everything myself?!
Xu Ming had had enough. He decided to go to Yuling City and personally punish Jian Wushuan for defying his orders.
When he arrived, he was unexpectedly awestruck.
Despite his cultivation level, Xu Ming rarely left Qingxu Hall. The last time he had gone down the mountain was over a hundred years ago.
Now, standing in the capital of the Wusheng Empire, he was overwhelmed by the sights, the noise, and—most of all—the smells.
It wasn't the scent of sweat, the sky, trees, or flowers that distracted him, but the smell of food.
A wide variety of dishes filled the air with their aromas—bread, noodles, pork, beef, chicken—braised, fried, sautéed, or boiled—drifting from food stalls, tea houses, restaurants, and pleasure houses alike.
His feet unknowingly carried him toward a food stall in front of a small tea house. A man was deep-frying youtiao (油条)—long, golden-brown strips of dough, crispy on the outside and airy on the inside. A common breakfast food, they were often dipped in warm soy milk or congee.
The crisp hiss as the dough hit the oil captivated him. When the youtiao was lifted from the pan, Xu Ming's eyes couldn't look away. He watched as the freshly fried pieces were wrapped and handed to a young lady waiting for her order.
She took one, bit into it, and her face lit up—eyes curved into crescents, lips curling into a smile. She chewed slowly, savoring it.
Xu Ming swallowed his saliva when she swallowed hers.
"Sir? Would you like some?" the man asked.
Xu Ming's head snapped toward the youtiao seller. He nodded eagerly, his expression transformed from the cold, cruel mask he usually wore into something bright, innocent, and strikingly handsome.
Everything about him drew attention, especially from young ladies. In no time, the usually quiet youtiao stall was surrounded by curious onlookers.
Xu Ming paid no attention to his surroundings. He was anxiously waiting for his youtiao. If any of Lingxu's Head Peaks or even any disciple saw him, they would seize him and demand where their cold, cruel, and powerful Shengzun had gone.
He finally got his hands on the youtiao. Other people would blow to cool it down before biting, but Xu Ming felt nothing and immediately took a big bite. After the first bite, his eyes widened, and he looked at the seller.
"Young Master, what is wrong?" The seller was a bit scared. He thought something was wrong with his youtiao and that this young master was trying to make a scene. He couldn't afford trouble—he needed the money to take his mother to the doctor.
"It's delicious!" Xu Ming answered unclearly, his mouth full.
Because he was feeling anxious, the seller didn't catch Xu Ming's words. He looked even more afraid. "I'm sorry, Young Master! I'll make you another one!"
Hearing this, Xu Ming nodded again and inhaled the youtiao in his hand.
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Xu Ming had devoured a lot of youtiao. In fact, he had eaten them all. The seller had no more youtiao to sell, no more dough to fry. He stood in front of Xu Ming, staring in disbelief.
The onlookers stared too—though their gazes were filled with admiration and infatuation. Their eyes sparkled at how handsome Xu Ming was.
Xu Ming smiled. The ladies sighed loudly.
He got up and headed toward the street.
The seller stopped him. "Young Master, you haven't paid."
Xu Ming looked confused. Pay? Why would he need to pay? He had never paid for food before—his meals were always taken care of. All he had to do was eat. And he rarely ate. A stupid decision to stay off food. I'd never do it again.
"Young Master, please. It's three silver taels." The seller was sweating now. He had no money and no more youtiao to sell. His mother needed the medicine.
Xu Ming remembered that in human cities, one needed to pay to eat, but he didn't carry any money. He had never needed it.
His annoyance returned. He looked at the seller with his usual cold gaze, briefly considering killing him for being annoying.
But when he heard the sighs of the onlookers, he hesitated. This is a human city; unnecessary attention is not wise. He looked at the seller again. He did make that delicious youtiao.
He looked around, wondering what to do, when he spotted someone in a light green robe, the uniform of Lingxu Sect's outer disciples, walking down the street.
A disciple! Good! She can pay!
Xu Ming shouted, "Hey, you! Over here."
Ling Yu approached the crowd and headed straight in.
She moved slowly, her eyes scanning around, trying to assess the situation.
When she reached Xu Ming, she didn't look at him or say anything at first, choosing instead to continue glancing around to form her own opinion about what was going on before dealing with it.
Xu Ming was also looking at her, waiting for her to bow and salute him. But it never came. She didn't even spare him more than a brief glance. When she met his gaze, he expected those almond-shaped eyes to recognize him, and then she would bow and salute. That also never came.
He was about to speak when Ling Yu's eyes left his and turned to the seller.
"Sir, how much does he owe?"
Hearing this, the seller was relieved. When Ling Yu had first approached, he'd recognized her uniform and felt a stab of trepidation.
Member of the Alliance!